Quote:
Originally Posted by madeenahsh  The Faculty of hearing of the Dead
Call to Islam Research
One often wonders about the soul's faculties in the barzakh (the stage between death and the Resurrection). Can it hear? Can it see? Does it have knowledge of certain things going on in the world? In order to answer these and other questions, one must carefully scrutinize the quality of the evidence presented in support of certain claims made by scholars in this field.
THE DECEASED'S FACULTY OF HEARING
It is a common concept among some people that the dead in their graves have the ability of hearing a visitor's greeting, his supplication, talk, etc.. Such a concept is unfounded, for it has no proof from clear texts of the divine shari'ah. In fact, it is in open contradiction to the unchallengeable texts of the Quran and the authentic traditions of the Prophet (saws) which deny the possibility of the dead possessing this faculty.
PROOF FROM THE QUR'AN AND THE SUNNAH NEGATING IT |
I don't think that is correct. The texts have been misinterpreted, as there is a clear hadith in Bukhari to the contrary:
Volumn 002, Book 023, Hadith Number 452.
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Narated By Ibn 'Umar : The Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) looked at the people of the well (the well in which the bodies of the pagans killed in the Battle of Badr were thrown) and said
, "Have you found true what your Lord promised you?" Somebody said to him, "You are addressing dead people." He replied, "You do not hear better than they but they cannot reply."
The only apparent evidence given to show that the dead cannot hear from the Quran has the following interpretation from
Tafsir Ibn Kathir:
The Command to put One's Trust in Allah and to convey the Message ﴿فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ﴾
(So, put your trust in Allah;) in all your affairs, and convey the Message of your Lord.
﴿إِنَّكَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ الْمُبِينِ﴾
(surely, you are on manifest truth.) meaning, you are following manifest truth, even though you are opposed by those who oppose you because they are doomed. The Word of your Lord has been justified against them, so that they will not believe even if all the signs are brought to them. Allah says:
﴿إِنَّكَ لاَ تُسْمِعُ الْمَوْتَى﴾ (Verily, you cannot make the dead to hear) meaning, you cannot cause them to hear anything that will benefit them. The same applies to those over whose hearts is a veil and in whose ears is deafness of disbelief. Allah says:
﴿وَلاَ تُسْمِعُ الصُّمَّ الدُّعَآءَ إِذَا وَلَّوْاْ مُدْبِرِينَ﴾ وَمَآ أَنتَ بِهَادِى الْعُمْىِ عَن ضَلَـلَتِهِمْ إِن تُسْمِعُ إِلاَّ مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِـئَايَـتِنَا فَهُم مُّسْلِمُونَ-﴾ (nor can you make the deaf to hear the call, when they flee, turning their backs. Nor can you lead the blind out of their error. You can only make to hear those who believe in Our Ayat, so they submit (became Muslims).) meaning, those who have hearing and insight will respond to you, those whose hearing and sight are of benefit to their hearts and who are humble towards Allah and to the Message that comes to them through the mouths of the Messengers, may peace be upon them.
The relevant part from the Tafsir for the other ayat:
(Verily, Allah makes whom He wills to hear,) means. He guides them to listen to the proof and accept it and adhere it.
﴿وَمَآ أَنتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَّن فِى الْقُبُورِ﴾ (but you cannot make hear those who are in graves.) means, `just as the dead cannot benefit from guidance and the call to truth after they have died as disbelievers and ended up in the graves, so too you cannot help these idolators who are decreed to be doomed, and you cannot guide them.' ﴿إِنْ أَنتَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ ﴾
You are only a warner means, all you have to do is to convey the Message and warn them, and Allah leaves astray whomsoever He wills and guides whomsoever He wills.
Wassalam.